Page 125 of Heartsong
Carys clapped her hands and rose from the sofa. “Excellent. Now, time for bed. Let’s get you two set up and comfortable. There will be time yet for more questions.”
As they all stood, Frey steadying Anna as she swayed with fatigue, Carys paused in front of them, her face glowing with happiness.
“Welcome home.”
34
Anna woke before dawn, groggy and in an unfamiliar bed. She blinked blearily into the inky blue darkness, running her hand along a silky-soft duvet as the events of yesterday slowly came back. Carys, Gavren, the attack, everything.
Holy guacamole.
There wasn’t really anything better to say other thanmind blown. It was one bombshell truth after another, and the only way Anna had been able to cope was to just nod along and tell herself she’d think about it later.
Well, it was later, and her brain was almost short-circuiting again with everything they’d learned. She still couldn’t quite believe she’d been snatched off the street by a crazy, magick-wielding history professor, and rubbed her neck with the memory of that magick coiling around her throat. It’d be a while before the memory dulled, and she shuddered remembering the cold, tight press of it on her skin.
“Cân fy nghalon,go back to sleep.” Warm lips kissed her hair, and a wing spread across her like a blanket. Frey’s familiar scent surrounded her as he leaned over her, and Anna burrowed closer to his warmth.
She’d barely gotten one foot in front of the other as Carys led them through a lush courtyard to a quaint guesthouse. Anna hadn’t seen much of it, so tired her eyes stung, and Frey was quick to whisk her off to bed once Carys bid them goodnight. Anna hadn’t wanted to fall asleep, needing to talk things over with Frey and see what he thought of all this, but the moment he pulled back the covers, she’d been done for.
“Don’t wanna sleep,” she mumbled.
“It’s still dark, and you’ve been through too much. I’m keeping watch. Rest.”
Rooting around on the duvet, she found and clutched his hand, pulling him down to her. “Only if you lay with me.”
“You make a compelling argument.”
“I know. You wanna be big spoon or little spoon?”
“Big spoon.”
The large bed dipped and the duvet rasped as he climbed in beside her. Captain sat up from where he’d been sleeping in the crook of Anna’s bent knees, yawning wide as he waited for them to settle. Anna pulled Frey’s arm around her and hugged it to her chest as the other slid under her head to support it. Comfy and cozy, Captain draped himself over Frey’s flank.
The room settled back into a soft quiet. Anna traced patterns on Frey’s forearm, her mind tumbling through the revelations faster than she could keep up with.
“The house went quiet soon after you fell asleep,” Frey reported. “They seem to be sleeping, and I haven’t noticed any other threats. But say the word and we’ll leave,fy nghân.”
“Where would we go?”
An anxious pause, and the tendons of his forearm tensed. “I’m not sure. But I’m in no mood to gamble with your safety.”
“Do you want to leave?”
A heavy sigh fluttered her hair. “No. I knew Carys, before. She has always been unfailingly kind. Even in the stone sleep, we could all sense we were together in a safe place. That she took care of us for all this time…”
Anna rubbed soothingly along Frey’s arm when his voice went thick. “Yeah, I’ve always liked her. Even when I was suspicious, thinking it was them and the police behind the surveillance, I didn’t want to believe she’d do that. And Gavren’s always been intimidating, but I don’t feel threatened by him.”
“Strangely…neither do I. I’m not sure I can fully trust a fae, at least not yet, but I suppose time will tell.”
“Did you…want to stay here? With them?”
“You must ask yourself that, my Anna. I go where you go.”
“Yeah, but…” She blew out a breath. “Your opinion matters.”
Frey pulled her in tight to his chest and kissed behind her ear. “You are my home. You are always where I’ll be.”
Blinking back tears, Anna kissed his broad, scarred knuckles. “I love my apartment, but…it doesn’t feel safe anymore.” She shivered remembering how trashed it’d been in the struggle, and even if Gavren could magick everything back together, Anna wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to be comfortable there again.
